Tobacco-box.



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I TOBACCO BOX. APPLICATION FILED DEC. ll. |915.

Patented Fab. 13,1917.

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la citizen of the United States,

MELVILLE I. KEIIII, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TOBACCO-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

)Patented Feb. 13, 191'?.

Application led December 11,1915. Serial No. 66,312.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MELVILLE I. KEIM, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook andv State of Illinois, have invented a certain 'new and useful Improvement in Tobacco-Boxes, of which-the following is a specification.

My invention relates to tobacco boxes and the general object of the invention is lto pro-l lvide a box of convenient size and shape to p be held inthe handy and stored in the pocket and capable of readily delivering tobacco to a pipe or to the cigarette paper for rolling cigarettes. Boxes of this nature are not broadly new, but it is my purpose to pro vide a construction 'in which, by pressing a button, a delivery `spout is opened and the contents are at the same time agitated in such a manner as to avoid compressing the tobacco and yet agitating it and loosening it sufficiently to insure its sliding out through the spout. It is my purpose, also, in a combinatlon of this character to provide an open throat or passageway to and through the spout so as to avoid any obstructing of the passage.

. I accomplishmy object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichlFigure 1 is a perspective view of a tobacco box embodying my invention and having a portion of the side broken away to reveal the internal parts.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the back end of the box showing the slide for covering the receiving opening.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the box showin the internal mechanism.

Similar numera s refer to similar parts throughout the several views. i

The box itself has two parallel sides l, rounded at the' front. The top, bottom, front and back are formed preferably of a single strip 2 of metal following the contour of the sides. At the back there is an opening 3, through which the box may be filled and this opening is closed by means of a slide 4. At the forward end ofthe bottom is a delivery openin 5 at the rear end of which is a spout whic is attached by means of a hinge 6. This spout consists of a licor 7 and two side wings 8 rising therefrom at the lateral f edges, the-wings being at such distance apart as to lie close to the sides of the delivery opening. The door of the spout is curved upward at the forward end to conform to and to deliver the tobacco more conveniently into the cigarette paper. erated' by means of a yoke formed of two side bars 9 connected by a cross bar l0. By preference this yoke consists of a single Hat strip of metal and is pivoted at the lower end of the arms to the upstanding wings 8 of the spout. Rising from the middle of the cross bar 10 is a push rod 11 which passes up through a housin l2 inside of the box and terminates in a utton or head 13. A helical spring 14 is located within the housing. rlhe spring encircles the rod and rests upon the bottom of the housing. The upper end of the spring engages the base of the button and normally holds it raised and the delivery spout closed.

operation, the box will usuall be held in the hand of the user in such position that the delivery spout will be downward and the button uppermost, the foreinger resting upon the button. The box will naturally be tllted downward toward the front and this brings the Vbottoni of the box to an incline which assists gravity to movey the contents toward the spout, especially when the contents are low. When the box is in this position it is also true that the front inclines rearwardl toward the opening,the curve being at st precipitate-.and gradually decreasing in pitch. Thus, as most naturally held by the user, the delivery spout will be at the lowermost point of the device and the contents will gravitate toward it from both ends of the box. Now when the button is ressed, it not only causes the spout to open ut causes the cross bar 10 to descend and agitato the contents suiiciently to prevent them from packing. It will be noted that the cross bar is some little distance (possibly ir of an inch) above the spout. Hence, it is never in the way to obstruct the passage of the tobacco out through the spout and yet it is near enou h to loosen up the tobacco above the spout. he yoke form is also advantageous because it permits the arms 9 to be arranged at the extreme sides of the spout thereby leavina free and clear assage for substantially t e entire width ofp the spout. This eiiectually prevents clogging and permits the tobacco to iiow in an even contlnuous stream for sucient time to deliver enough tobacco for the ordinary cigarette.

The spout is op- It is evident, also, that in this, the preferred form the Hoor of the spout when in open positlon has a steeper pitch at the inner end than at the delivery end. This permits the tobacco to .How freely from the box until it has completely passed out of the box, after which it is directed more nearly horizontally, thus making it more convenient for spreading the tobacco in the paper. v

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: l

1. A tobacco box having parallel sides and a bottom provided with a discharge opening, a delivery spout hinged at one end of said opening, and a yoke having side arms attached to said s out and located at a distance apart approxlmatelv equal to the full width of the spout, said side arms being connected at the top by a cross bar, and

Lamme means connected to said cross bar for operating it and the spout.

2. A tobacco box having parallel sidesfand a bottom provided with a discharge opening, a delivery spout hinged at one end of said opening, said spout having upstanding wings at the sides, parallel side bars pivoted to said wings and passing up into the box, a cross bar connectln said side arms at the top, said cross bar being located a short distance above the spout, whereby a free passage through the spout Vis formed and yet the contents of the box may be agitated, and a push rod passing through `the top of the box whereby the spout may be swung about its hinge.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name. 

